Matheus Pereira (footballer, born 1996)

Matheus Fellipe Costa Pereira (born 5 May 1996) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or right winger for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Cruzeiro and the Brazil national team.

Matheus Pereira
Pereira scoring for 1. FC Nürnberg in 2019
Personal information
Full name Matheus Fellipe Costa Pereira[1]
Date of birth (1996-05-05) 5 May 1996 (age 28)[2]
Place of birth Belo Horizonte, Brazil[2]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, winger
Team information
Current team
Cruzeiro
Number 10
Youth career
2007–2010 Trafaria
2010–2015 Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Sporting CP B 42 (17)
2015–2020 Sporting CP 15 (1)
2017–2018Chaves (loan) 27 (7)
2018–20191. FC Nürnberg (loan) 19 (3)
2019–2020West Bromwich Albion (loan) 42 (8)
2020–2021 West Bromwich Albion 33 (11)
2021–2024 Al Hilal 28 (2)
2023Al Wahda (loan) 10 (1)
2023–2024Cruzeiro (loan) 34 (5)
2024– Cruzeiro 17 (3)
International career
2024– Brazil 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:21, 24 September 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:15, 16 October 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Sporting CP

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Born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Pereira moved to Portugal at a young age, joining Sporting CP's youth system at the age of 14. On 18 January 2014, whilst still a junior, he made his debut as a senior with the B team, coming on as a 46th-minute substitute for Cristian Ponde in a 1–1 away draw against C.D. Trofense in the Segunda Liga.[3] He scored his first goal in the competition on 7 March of the following year, contributing to a 4–3 home win over C.D. Tondela.[4]

Early into the 2015–16 season, Pereira was first called to the main squad by newly appointed manager Jorge Jesus.[5] His first competitive appearance took place on 1 October, as he started in a 1–1 draw at Beşiktaş J.K. in the UEFA Europa League.[6] Late in the same month he scored his first goals as a professional, helping defeat U.D. Vilafranquense in the Taça de Portugal (4–0, away)[7] and KF Skënderbeu Korçë in the Europa League (5–1, home),[8] being subsequently selected for the latter competition's team of the week.[9]

Pereira was loaned to fellow Primeira Liga club G.D. Chaves in the 2017–18 campaign.[10] He scored seven league goals during his spell (eight overall), helping them to a sixth-place finish.[11]

On 31 August 2018, the last day of the summer transfer window, Pereira joined 1. FC Nürnberg on loan until the end of the season[12][13] after criticising José Peseiro's choice of not selecting him to the first match against Moreirense F.C. on social media.[14] He made his Bundesliga debut 16 days later, playing 61 minutes in a 1–1 away draw against SV Werder Bremen.[15]

Pereira scored his first league goal on 30 March 2019, helping the hosts defeat FC Augsburg 3–0.[16] He was nominated for the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season award, but his team suffered relegation after finishing last.[17]

West Bromwich Albion

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On 8 August 2019, Pereira joined West Bromwich Albion on an initial season-long loan with a view to a permanent move.[18] He scored his first goal in the Championship on 28 September, in a 2–0 away win against Queens Park Rangers.[19]

On 20 June 2020, after the player had appeared in the required number of matches, a buyout clause was triggered, obligating the club into Pereira’s purchase.[20] The following month, he won the Supporters’ Player of the Season award after collecting 65% of the votes.[21]

Despite the buyout clause being met months earlier, it took until 17 August 2020 for Pereira to be officially announced as an Albion player, eventually signing a four-year contract.[22] To ensure the player’s focus remained on the field, the board decided to leave the negotiations until after the season had ended.[23]

Pereira made his Premier League debut on 13 September 2020, playing the entire 0–3 home loss against Leicester City.[24] He scored his first goal six days later, through a direct free kick in a 5–2 away defeat to Everton.[25]

On 3 April 2021, Pereira scored a brace in first-half stoppage time in an eventual 5–2 win at Chelsea; this sealed Albion's first victory at Stamford Bridge since 1978, and handed Thomas Tuchel his first loss as the opposition's head coach.[26] On 9 May, his tenth goal of the season – becoming the first club player to get on double digits since Saido Berahino in 2014–15 – amounted to nothing because his team lost 3–1 at Arsenal and confirmed their relegation.[27]

On 1 August 2021, recently appointed manager Valérien Ismaël announced that Pereira would leave the club before the end of the transfer window, accusing him of "not being committed".[28] The following day, the latter released a statement on his social media accounts, confirming that he wished to leave but also expressing anger at the former's comments, branding them "disrespectful".[29]

Al Hilal

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On 6 August 2021, Pereira agreed to a deal with Al Hilal SFC for an undisclosed fee.[30] He scored his first goal for the club the following 6 February, in a 6–1 rout of Al Jazira Club in the second round of the FIFA Club World Cup.[31]

Pereira was loaned to Al Wahda FC of the UAE Pro League in January 2023, until June.[32]

Cruzeiro

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In July 2023, also on loan, Pereira joined Cruzeiro Esporte Clube.[33] On 17 June 2024, having totalled seven goals and ten assists from 40 appearances until that point, he signed a permanent two-year contract for an undisclosed amount.[34]

International career

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On 11 October 2024, Pereira was called up for the Brazil national team to replace Lucas Paquetá, who was suspended for the match against Peru in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to be held four days later;[35] he featured 15 minutes in the 4–0 win in Brasília to earn his first cap.[36]

Career statistics

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As of 24 September 2024[37]
Club Season League State league[a] National cup[b] League cup[c] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sporting CP B 2013–14 Segunda Liga 4 0 4 0
2014–15 12 1 12 1
2015–16 12 8 12 8
2016–17 14 8 14 8
Total 42 17 42 17
Sporting CP 2015–16 Primeira Liga 8 0 2 2 3 0 5[d] 3 18 5
2016–17 7 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 9 1
Total 15 1 3 2 4 0 5 3 27 6
Chaves (loan) 2017–18 Primeira Liga 27 7 1 0 2 1 30 8
Nürnberg (loan) 2018–19 Bundesliga 19 3 2 0 21 3
West Bromwich Albion (loan) 2019–20 Championship 42 8 0 0 1 0 43 8
West Bromwich Albion 2020–21 Premier League 33 11 1 1 0 0 34 12
Al Hilal 2020–21 Saudi Pro League 4[e] 0 4 0
2021–22 21 2 2 0 3[e] 0 4[f] 1 30 3
2022–23 7 0 1 0 0 0 8 0
Total 28 2 3 0 7 0 4 1 42 3
Al Wahda (loan) 2022–23 UAE Pro League 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1[g] 1 11 2
Cruzeiro 2023 Série A 15 1 0 0 15 1
2024 25 6 11 1 1 0 9[h] 2 46 9
Total 40 7 11 1 1 0 9 2 61 10
Career total 256 57 11 1 11 3 7 1 21 5 5 2 311 69
  1. ^ Includes Campeonato Mineiro
  2. ^ Includes Taça de Portugal, DFB-Pokal, FA Cup, King's Cup and Copa do Brasil
  3. ^ Includes Taça da Liga and EFL Cup
  4. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ a b Appearances in AFC Champions League
  6. ^ One appearance in Saudi Super Cup, three appearances and one goal in FIFA Club World Cup
  7. ^ Appearance in Arab Club Champions Cup
  8. ^ Appearances in Copa Sudamericana

Honours

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Al Hilal

References

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  1. ^ "Notification of shirt numbers: West Bromwich Albion" (PDF). English Football League. p. 75. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Matheus Pereira" (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Trofense-Sporting B, 1–1: Equilíbrio dá empate" [Trofense-Sporting B, 1–1: Balance equals draw]. Record (in Portuguese). 18 January 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Sporting B vence Tondela com bis de Rubio" [Sporting B defeat Tondela with Rubio brace]. Record (in Portuguese). 7 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Matheus preserva estatuto" [Matheus preserves status]. Record (in Portuguese). 9 September 2015. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  6. ^ Cem Yılmaz, Çetin (1 October 2015). "Beşiktaş and Sporting share spoils in Istanbul". UEFA. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  7. ^ Bento, Helena (17 October 2015). "Sporting vence Vilafranquense por 4–0" [Sporting defeat Vilafranquense 4–0]. Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Sporting see off Skënderbeu in style". UEFA. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  9. ^ "UEFA Europa League team of the week". UEFA. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  10. ^ "Sporting empresta Matheus Pereira ao Chaves" [Sporting loan Matheus Pereira to Chaves] (in Portuguese). Rádio Renascença. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  11. ^ Silva Reis, Paulo (15 August 2018). "SAD do Chaves está atenta a Matheus Pereira" [Chaves PLSC keeping an eye on Matheus Pereira]. Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Club holt Matheus Pereira aus Lissabon" [Club gets Matheus Pereira from Lisbon] (in German). 1. FC Nürnberg. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Nürnberg verpflichtet Misidjan und Matheus Pereira" [Nürnberg acquire Misidjan and Matheus Pereira] (in German). Kicker. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  14. ^ Frias, Rui (12 August 2018). "Insatisfação de Matheus Pereira levou resposta de Peseiro" [Matheus Pereira dissatisfaction got reply from Peseiro]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  15. ^ "Joker Misidjan vermiest Sahin das Werder-Debüt" [Joker Misidjan spoils Sahin's Werder debut] (in German). Kicker. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  16. ^ "Nürnberg schlägt Augsburg 3:0 – die Hoffnung lebt" [Nürnberg beat Augsburg 3:0 – there's still hope] (in German). Bayerischer Rundfunk. 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  17. ^ "Ozan Kabak ist der Rookie der Saison 2018/19" [Ozan Kabak is the 2018/19 season rookie] (in German). Bundesliga. May 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  18. ^ "Pereira signs for the Baggies". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Queens Park Rangers 0–2 West Bromwich Albion". BBC Sport. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  20. ^ Chapman, Joseph (20 June 2020). "West Brom trigger Matheus Pereira clause to confirm permanent signing". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Pereira picks up Ideal Boilers Supporters' Player of the Season award". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Pereira pens permanent deal at The Hawthorns". West Bromwich Albion F.C. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  23. ^ Masi, Joseph (17 August 2020). "Matheus Pereira signs four year deal with West Brom". Express & Star. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  24. ^ Stone, Simon (13 September 2020). "West Bromwich Albion 0–3 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  25. ^ Rose, Gary (19 September 2020). "Everton 5–2 West Bromwich Albion: Dominic Calvert-Lewin scores hat-trick in big win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  26. ^ Chowdhury, Saj (3 April 2021). "Chelsea 2–5 West Brom: Baggies thump five past 10-man Blues". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  27. ^ Bysouth, Alex (9 May 2021). "Arsenal 3–1 West Bromwich Albion: Baggies relegated after defeat". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  28. ^ "Matheus Pereira dismisses claims he is 'not committed' to West Brom". The Independent. 2 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  29. ^ Gurney, Rob; Scott, Ged (3 August 2021). "Matheus Pereira: West Brom boss Ismael not fazed by impending exit". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  30. ^ "Matheus Pereira joins Saudi club Al Hilal from West Brom". Sky Sports. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  31. ^ Duerden, John (6 February 2022). "Al-Hilal overwhelm Al-Jazira to set up FIFA Club World Cup semi-final against Chelsea". Arab News. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  32. ^ "الهلال يعير بيريرا إلى الوحدة الإماراتي" [Al-Hilal loan Pereira to Al Wahda]. Arriyadiyah (in Arabic). 22 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  33. ^ "Cruzeiro anuncia a contratação de Matheus Pereira" [Cruzeiro announce signing of Matheus Pereira] (in Portuguese). Globo Esporte. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  34. ^ Gimenez, Leonardo; Muratori, Matheus; Leite, Pedro (17 June 2024). "Cruzeiro compra Matheus Pereira e anuncia novo contrato" [Cruzeiro buy Matheus Pereira and announce new contract] (in Portuguese). CNN Brazil. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  35. ^ "Matheus Pereira é convocado para a Seleção Brasileira" [Matheus Pereira is called up for the Brazil national team] (in Portuguese). Brazilian Football Confederation. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  36. ^ "Brasil deslancha no segundo tempo e goleia o Peru pelas eliminatórias" [Brazil take off in second half and thrash Peru in qualifiers]. O Dia (in Portuguese). 15 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Matheus Pereira". Soccerway. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  38. ^ Duerden, John (7 January 2022). "Al-Hilal defeat Al-Faisaly to win Saudi Super Cup after dramatic penalty shootout". Arab News. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  39. ^ "Al Hilal power past Pohang Steelers to create history". Asian Football Confederation. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
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